Devion Smith, since his transfer from Utah to St. John’s, has had an unpredictable season of highs and lows. After serving a suspension for how he handled his benching during St. John’s loss to Georgia, the world was looking forward to having the Rick Pitino prodigy back.
As Smith gets back to the groove, it looks like he just might have to take a seat again.
Rick Pitino Reveals That Deivon Smith To Sit Out Yet Again
The upcoming game for St. John’s is a high-stakes one as they go up against No. 20 Marquette in Milwaukee. The world and Pitino were looking forward to having his entire team on court.
However, that will not be the case as the St. John’s star player Smith will be sitting out yet again.
College basketball insider Jon Rothstein not so long ago, took to X and wrote, “St. John’s Deivon Smith is OUT for Saturday’s game against Marquette, per Rick Pitino. Has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury since early January.”
So what exactly happened to Smith?
On January 11, Smith suffered a shoulder sprain, which caused him to miss three of the next four games. However, he returned on February 1 against Providence.
Despite all the healing, he wasn’t quite the same as he’s been gone, just 5-of-34 from the field. And just when things seemed to be getting better, Smith was hit with another injury.
Last Sunday, Smith suffered a neck injury during practice. Pitino initially sounded optimistic about Smith’s return.
But after the loss to Villanova, it looks like Pitino will no longer be taking a chance with his injured star player. While Smith will be missed on court, this decision was not entirely unexpected.
Smith was missing from practice on Monday or Tuesday. Additionally, with the Big East Tournament right around the corner, it makes sense to play it safe. But let’s not forget that the upcoming match is not going to be easy, considering that St. John’s had a nightmare on Wednesday.
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The Red Storm broke their winning streak and lost 73-71 to Villanova. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles are also looking at making a comeback after their rather dismal shooting nightmare at the UConn match.
If the Golden Eagles win the upcoming match, they are likely looking at a No. 4 seed at the Big East Tournament.
The last time these two teams went head to head, St. John’s broke Marquette’s six-game winning streak. But can they do it again without Smith on the court?
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